Battle of Tonkin River

Battle of Tonkin River
	Part of Piracy in Asia
	; Destruction of Shap Ng tsai's fleet
Date	October 20–22, 1849
Location	near Hai Phong, Tonkin River, Vietnam
Result	British/Chinese/Tonkinese victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom; Qing dynasty; Nguyen dynasty	Shap Ng-tsai's pirates
Commanders and leaders
John C. Hay; Admiral Wong	Shap Ng-tsai
Strength
Land:; unknown land forces; Sea:; 2 sloops-of-war; 1 brig; 8 war-junks	Land:; ~1,400 pirates; Sea:; 64 war-junks
Casualties and losses
British:; none; 2 sloops-of-war damaged; 1 brig damaged; Chinese:; unknown; Vietnamese:; unknown	~2,400 killed or wounded; ~300 captured; 58 junks sunk

The Battle of Tonkin River was a major naval battle fought in northern Vietnam between the pirates of Shap Ng-tsai and the British Royal Navy with aid from the Qing Chinese navy and the Tonkinese. The 1849 expedition led to the destruction of Shap Ng-tsai's fleet and the loss of over 2,000 men. The battle occurred over a three-day period at the mouth of the Tonkin River, near present-day Hai Phong.